When did the Welsh Government first discuss the Circuit of Wales February proposal with a) ONS and b) HMT?
The role of the ONS is to determine whether bodies are classified as public sector bodies within the national accounts or otherwise. Such decisions are taken on the basis of the relevant contractual documentation, and decisions are arrived at by reference to the prevailing EU legislation, ESA2010, and its interpretative guidelines, the Manual on Government Deficit and Debt (2016). Discussions around the revision of these interpretative guidelines, which would assist our assessment of risk in the Circuit of Wales proposal, have been ongoing since summer 2015. Discussions with HMT about aspects of the Circuit of Wales proposal specifically have been ongoing since March 2016.